It seems that every man and his dog (literally) is on some form of social media these days, which means that brands not only have a direct line to their customers, but that having a social presence is extremely important.

Social media allows companies to tap into their customers’ inner most thoughts and feelings, and while their honesty might seem scary at first, brands that can utilize it as a tool will definitely come out on top. Why? Let’s explore.

It can help you retain sales.

If a customer who became annoyed with the buying process decided to desert the purchase half way through, they might take a moment to vent their frustrations online – we’ve all been there. Really, the consumer wants to be noticed and does want to go through with the sale and as a company, able to reach out to that person; you’re presented with an ideal opportunity. Contacting them personally via an official account restores trust in the brand, and could turn a negative interaction into a positive one.

It helps you give better customer service.

If you haven’t attempted to complain to a brand via social media, then you’re probably in the minority. Consumers know that brands care about how they’re perceived online, which means they’ll usually receive a faster response. Monitoring your social media allows you to tackle those issues head on before they snowball into bigger problems, and much less invasive for the customer. Sending a couple of tweets while they’re already active on their phone and responding in their own time, or taking time out of their day to sit in a phone queue and become more frustrated? I know which one I’d rather do.

Furthermore, your response is often public, which shows other customers that you’re serious about delivering a great service, and being notified of the problem can help you identify a bigger flaw within the company, leading to some great changes.

Forget about the negative, let’s talk positive.

Social media isn’t all about negativity. In fact, it’s a great way to find out what your customers love about your service, and what you need to do more of. Word of mouth is still such a powerful marketing tool, and being able to reach out and thank you customers personally adds a really nice touch.

You can keep an eye on the competition.

Social media offers a window into the dirty laundry of your competitors. It allows you to see where they’ve gone wrong, what their consumers are saying about them, and can help you strategize to avoid their mistakes in the future. Of course, this also means they can see your weaknesses too – so bear that in mind when it comes to strategy and ensuring you fix problems.

You can keep up with the trends and up-and-coming influencers.

Keeping your finger on the pulse of everything trending gives you an edge over your competitors and allows you to reach out to people who fit well with your brand, with the potential of making them ambassadors. Tapping into their ready-made audiences allows you to reach even more people, and gives you their backing, which speaks volumes to people who might follow that influencer.

It allows you to showcase your brand.

Every tweet, every caption, every response just oozes your brand tone of voice, and can really help you create a personal relationship with each customer. Monitoring and responding on social media allows you to show a more human side to your brand, while adding to the customer’s overall experience.

With billions of people signing in every single day and reaching out to brands on social media, your company really can’t afford to get left behind.